March 14, 2025
Be the Change: A call to cction for Africa’s problem-solvers
In a world where many observe problems but wait for someone else to fix them, Strive Masiyiwa challenges Africans to take ownership of solutions. Using the inspiring example of the Netherlands’ shift to bicycles, sparked by one grieving father’s campaign, Masiyiwa argues that transformative change often begins with a single person willing to act. From waste management to access to capital for young entrepreneurs, he urges individuals to step up, innovate, and lead the way—rather than just complaining. Whether through entrepreneurship, impact-driven businesses, or faith-driven action, he reminds us that true progress starts when we stop waiting and start doing. Read:
Anyone even mildly observant who has been to Amsterdam, will be struck by the number of bicycles. Everyone has a bicycle. Even the Prime Minister, CEOs, ministers, and billionaires are proud bicycle owners. I once went to a meeting with the chairman of a global company and he arrived to the appointment on a bicycle.
I think it’s considered a disgrace not to have a bicycle, even if you have the most expensive car at home!
So why do they all go around on bikes, rich and poor?
“It was not always like that,” my Dutch friend began to explain.
“In 1971, we had cars like you have in Paris or London. Then one day a little girl was struck and killed by a car. Her father decided that we should change the way we drive and get cars out of the city to allow children to move safely. He began a campaign on his own, and gradually others joined and began a national debate that led our entire society to try to reduce cars in built up areas; that is when we turned to bicycles.”
“One guy brought about this change?”
“Yes. Just an ordinary guy really. He was not a politician or celebrity. Just a father who did not want his daughter’s death to be repeated on others.”
I was profoundly stunned by this story.
In Africa we tend to observe many problems, but we are always waiting for someone [ELSE] to take charge and do something when we can make the first step ourselves…. even though that first step may be really modest and it may take weeks, years, or even decades before change comes along.
There is one problem we’ve been talking about here for a while: We need capital access for our young entrepreneurs.
We all know about this problem, and your own country, it will require only ONE person to take it on… Not ten people, not one thousand people. And so it is for a lot of problems.
“Our city is awash with waste. Why doesn’t someone clean it up?”
At this point, it’s just an observation, but the problem is not going away…. Maybe then it is YOU who can finally find a smart #Solution that starts in your street, in your neighbourhood, your community, your city… and who knows where it ends up!
Personally, I hate it when people make observations about problems that we can all see, yet will not lift one finger to suggest a solution beyond venting on Social Media.
A few years ago, I met a young entrepreneur from Rwanda who noticed that when boreholes are sunk in rural areas, they usually break down within months and no one bothers to fix them. She turned that problem into an award-winning business venture!
It’s the kind of business IMPACT Investors love to fund. [These are a type of VC investor who put money into for-profit businesses that have social impact].
For those of you who are spiritual: There is a problem you have been seeing and even complaining about. There’s a reason why it keeps coming back to your mind. Perhaps the Lord wants you to fix it and He will even empower you in a special way, if you allow yourself to be the vessel for a solution.
That is how true faith works.
Half of Africa’s everyday problems are actually not waiting for governments or local authorities to fix. They’re waiting for some of us to have the confidence and self-belief to say “I’ve got this!”
And please Mr Government, let citizens who want to solve problems go ahead and help.
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet…” Stephen Hawking
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